Monday, February 04, 2013

A Return To The "Wild West" For Texas ?

While the right-wing (and the NRA leadership) want to deny it, there is little doubt that gun deaths have gotten out of hand in this country (murders, suicides, accidents) -- and the primary cause of it is too many guns floating around (nearly one gun for every citizen) in the hands of people who have no business owning or carrying a gun. The federal government is now trying to solve that problem by fixing the holes in the background check requirement (about 40% of guns bought are done so without a background check). They are also trying to once again ban the sale of military-style assault weapons and ammunition clips holding more than 10 bullets.

Those are reasonable actions (and the Supreme Court has already declared them to be constitutional). But while the federal government is trying to restrict gun sales and possession, the state of Texas seems to be doing just the opposite. The legislature is currently holding its biennial legislative session, and they are considering passage of several gun bills -- including allowing people with concealed carry permits to take their guns into the classrooms of a public university, allowing superintendents and school board members with a concealed carry permit to take their weapons to a board meeting, and reducing the number of hours of training to get a concealed carry permit from 10 hours down to 4 hours.

Those are all bad bills, and Texans should hope they don't get passed. But they pale in comparison to another proposed law, HB700 filed by Texarkana Rep. George Lavender, which would allow those with a concealed carry permit to openly carry their weapons in plain view -- that is, walk down the street wearing a gun in a holster (like in the western movies).

I think these legislative idiots have the idea that somehow we would all be safer if everyone openly carried a weapon. They want to return to a time when people defended themselves by carrying a weapon. The problem with that is they are believing in a myth -- not a reality. While the movies show people walking around town with guns strapped to their hip, for most 19th century western towns that was not a reality.

Our 19th century ancestors were not stupid people. They knew that allowing everyone to carry a weapon didn't make the town safer, but more dangerous -- because anger, alcohol, hurt feelings, and other causes made it dangerous to allow guns in a populated area. And most western towns did not allow anyone to carry a weapon within the city limits (except law enforcement officers). While they respected the right of citizens to own a firearm, they also were not shy about instituting gun control laws for the safety of the town's inhabitants (and to encourage new residents to move there).

Allowing people to openly carry weapons in our cities may sound like a great idea to the gun nuts today, but it sounded like a stupid idea to our ancestors who settled the "wild west". They believed in gun control (and knew it didn't violate the Constitution). We should be that smart.

I don't know that "most gun deaths are from stolen guns" is actually true. Most of the mass killings were done with guns legally bought and possessed. However, I have no problem with possessing a stolen gun being a felony.

In Phoenix, where I have lived most of my life, we have always had open cary. Anyone (who was allowed to posess a gun in the first place) could hang it on their belt and go about their business, except in a poling place, liquor store, or where prohibited by a business owner. It was quite rare to see anyone do this. I never saw anyone walking around with a long gun of any type. And I vastly prefer this legal regieme to the concealed carry laws. There is a social deterrent to forcing people to own up to the idea that "I'm that guy who thinks there might be a shootout at Walgreens." Not so with concealed carry. I have been told this by concealed carry permit holders that they prefer the anonymity, although some Die Hard fantasists are easy to spot. And yes, I am a gun owner.

Quote

How can you frighten a man whose hunger is not only in his own cramped stomach but in the wretched bellies of his children? You can't scare him - he has known a fear beyond every other.
-John Steinbeck

Quote

About Me

Quote

What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority.-Molly Ivins

Total Pageviews

Comment Policy

I invite anyone who wishes to comment on this blog to do so. I enjoy the comments, whether you agree with what I have said or not. But some people want to abuse the right to comment, and since this is my blog, I have decided to lay down the following rules. If your comment violates these rules, it will not be published.

1. Comments must not be racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or otherwise bigoted.

2. Comments must not involve little more than name-calling and insulting remarks.

3. Comments must not be made by "anonymous".

4. Comments must not try to sneak in some free advertising for themselves (like spam).

Support

Belief

Quote

Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing bad things, but for good people to do bad things, it takes religion.
-Steven Weinberg